


You Only Belong With Me

by PlayWriteDelete



Category: Yu Yu Hakusho
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Torture, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-14 00:35:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,349
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlayWriteDelete/pseuds/PlayWriteDelete
Summary: Thank you for checking out my fanfic! I just wanted to give all of you a heads up that I do change perspectives and scenes frequently, these are marked with a series of "——" . There will also be flashback sequences and headers where necessary for major scene changes.
Relationships: Hiei (YuYu Hakusho)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	You Only Belong With Me

Airi lay her head down in the grass. How long had she been free now? They’d have to leave soon, she knew that. But right now, it was just the two of them. Their hands laid side by side on the ground, fingers almost touching. “It’s so quiet out here.” She turned her bright gold eyes up toward his. “Will they find us here?"

His crimson eyes met hers and he gave a sigh. “Yes.” He rolled onto his side and stared intently at her for a long moment. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?” She sat up still looking at him.

“I-“ He paused, searching for the words. “I interfered, and now you have to run.”

“You and I both know what fate awaited me if I had stayed.” Her face grew solemn as she briefly placed her hand on his, before hastily removing it. “You gave me a chance I wouldn’t have had otherwise, I can’t go back.”

They both turned their heads suddenly at the sound of footsteps. _They can’t have found us already._

He yanked her to her feet, and they ran.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Airi’s eyes snapped open suddenly and she sat up in her bed. _What an intense dream._ She rubbed her forehead as she glanced at her clock. “Shit, I’m late!” She jumped out of bed and started dressing in her school uniform. She’d get detention for sure if she was late again.

She rushed out of her house with a granola bar clutched in her hands and started running to school. Airi was always a fast runner, placing 1st in most track events, she made it to school with 15 minutes to spare. Sarayashiki Jr. High. Thankfully, she only had a year left until high school. As she approached the main gates, she saw her best friend Yusuke at the front gate. He was talking to a group of other boys, one she recognized as Kuwabara. There were two strange boys with him as well. One was a handsome red-head that wore a uniform from Meiou High, and the other was about her height wearing a long black cloak. _Weird outfit for spring, but okay, whatever._ She approached them with a wave, “Hey, Urameshi!”

He turned suddenly and smiled, “Hey, Airi!” At her name, the short one glanced at her briefly. “Keeping out of trouble?”

“Of course!” She nudged him. “Are you and Keiko up for game night? You can invite your friends if you want, more people for me to crush into the dust.” She punched a fist into her opposite hand.

“Nah, I got some other plans, maybe next time.” Airi gave a pout and he laughed. “Don’t give me that face. Oh, hey, let me introduce you.” He stepped to the side, “You know Kuwabara.”

“Mornin’, Kuwabaka.” Airi corrected with a smirk.

“Hey! Stop calling me that!” He held a fist in front of him. “If you weren’t a girl, I’d make you pay for that.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’d like to see you try. You know I could take you with both arms tied behind my back.” Airi crossed her arms in front of her with a wide smirk. The red-head chuckled and the short one gave a huff that sounded like a stifled laugh.

“Okay, down, girlie. This is Kur- uh, Shuichi Minamino, he goes to -“

“Meiou High right?” He nodded and she shook his hand. “Kaito told me about you, he’s in your grade, I think?”

“You know Kaito?” Shuichi seemed surprised.

“Yeah, um…” She paused for a moment and softly mumbled, “My mom used to clean his family’s house before she passed, he was one of the last clients she had…” Her cheeks flushed lightly.

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.” His green eyes reflected his words and that sincerity made Airi feel uncomfortable. Not many people she had interacted with actually meant what they said.

“This guy over here is Hiei, he, uh, doesn’t really talk much.” He aimed his thumb behind him at the cloaked boy.

Airi leaned her head sideways around Yusuke with a friendly smile. “Oh hey, my name is Airi.”

He stared into her bright gold eyes for a moment. His eyes widened for a brief second before he turned his head away. “Hn.”

“Wow, you weren’t kidding, Yusuke.” The bell rang. “Oh, I’m gonna head to class, see you at lunch, or are you playing hooky again?” She asked as she walked backwards towards the school.

“I’ve got some other things to take care of today, I’ll probably see you tomorrow.”

“Okay then.” She gave him a wink and a playful salute as she turned and darted inside.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

After the girl left, the boys started walking away from school to continue their conversation. “So, Koenma said there’s a demon at my school?”

Kurama answered, “That’s what Botan told us, and that we should meet you right away to see if we can find it.”

“Some skeevy demon at our school? I’ll find him myself and kick his ugly ass back to their world.” Kuwabara stated confidently.

“Well, I’ll head home and grab my demon compass, and I’ll come back. You two are going to stay here?” Hiei and Kurama nodded. “Okay, Kuwabara, you’re with me, we could run into this demon on the way.” He nodded, and they left.

As they left, Hiei turned back toward the school. “Did you feel the girl’s energy? It’s not human.”

“Yes, I did.” Kurama seemed stern. “But she didn’t seem hostile.” He paused and glanced down at Hiei. “Did you recognize her?”

“No, why would you ask me such an absurd question?” He scowled at the building.

“You reacted to her name.” At his silence, Kurama continued. “I’ll let Botan know.” He turned and left, pulling a communicator from his pocket.

Hiei kept staring at the building. _Airi, it can’t be. She has a demonic aura, but it doesn’t feel the same._ He leapt to a tree nearby and closed his eyes. He felt his Jagan open as he searched the school for her aura. When he found her, he looked into her mind.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

[Hiei observed as the girl called Airi sat with her legs crossed as if meditating. _Shouldn’t she be focused on class?_ Airi suddenly turned and looked right at him. _She can hear me?_

_Yes, I can hear you and see you._ She stood and faced him. _How are you here? What is this?_

Hiei attempted to leave her mind but couldn’t. _Why can’t I leave?_

_You’re in_ ** _my_** _mind. You can’t leave until you answer my question. How are you here?_ Everything around them went dark, leaving Hiei and Airi standing across each other in the void. She stepped closer to him. He reached for a sword, but the scabbard was empty. _You have no weapons here, answer me._

He glared at her. _Who are you?_

Airi seemed to become distorted for a moment and changed. She was still dressed the same but her expression seemed completely different. _Hiei_. Her eyes pleaded with him.

His eyes widened at the way she said his name and he was forced from her mind.]

He opened his eyes and he was back in the tree. He blinked up at a window, only to see her staring down at him. Then he left.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Kurama waited at a park down the street for Botan to meet with him. Yusuke and Kuwabara were making their way back to school through the park, until they noticed Kurama. “Hey, what are you doing here, I thought you were gonna wait at the school?”

“I’m waiting on Botan, she’s coming here. We found the source of demonic energy, but she’s odd.”

“Wait, she?”

“Yes, your friend, Airi.”

Yusuke did a double take. “You think Airi’s a demon? But I grew up with her!”

Kuwabara’s jaw dropped. “Airi? A demon?” He paused, “But she’s not icky, she’s super hot!”

“Yes, well, that may be so, but she does have a demonic aura. She didn’t seem very strong, and she didn’t seem hostile or stand out in any way.”

Botan chose this moment to appear. “So, you found the demon?”

Kurama filled her in on their conversation. “She doesn’t act like a demon, I didn’t smell any fresh kill on her. Her aura is demonic, but she presents almost human.” He shrugged. “But we did locate her.”

Botan had her finger on her chin, “I’ll need to report this right now.” She pulled out a suitcase with a small screen inside and turned it on. “Koenma, sir? We found the demon.”

“Good, we need to capture it now. It poses a major threat to the human world.” A voice responded.

Kurama chimed in. “She doesn’t seem very dangerous.”

“Yeah, she’s my friend.” Yusuke said as he tried to cram himself in front of the screen.

“Yusuke, you need to place her under arrest now, and send her with Botan.” Yusuke tried to interrupt, but Koenma cut him off, “NOW, Yusuke!” Then the screen went blank.

“I guess, we need to say goodbye to Airi.” Kuwabara mumbled.

“Come on, it’s Airi. She’s like the sister I never had, and I’m, what, just supposed to arrest her and send her to the Underworld?”

“I’m sorry, Yusuke, but Koenma says she’s dangerous, we have to take her, whether you like it or not.” Botan shrugged. “Kurama, can you take me to her?”

He nodded and stood. “Let’s go then.” They turned and walked towards the school as the lunch bell chimed.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Airi headed to the roof with her lunch. Keiko was out today, she had to help her parents with something. Yusuke wasn’t even at school today. She had dozed off in class, and she could’ve sworn that she had dreamed about that short boy, Hiei was it? She looked around when she made it to the roof, nobody around, great. She set her lunch down and stretched. She brushed off her skirt and twirled in a circle. She swayed her hips as she suddenly began to dance, practicing the routine she had been rehearsing for the talent show. She was sure she’d win, so she’d get herself out of this town. Although she had Keiko and Yusuke, everything else seemed to end in death. After a few more steps, she stopped and sighed. She really wasn’t in the mood.

Airi seated herself, leaned back and stared up at the sky. _Why did his eyes look so familiar?_ She smiled to herself. _He’s kinda cute for such a cranky guy._ _Kinda reminds me of a cat._ She pictured the grumpy boy with cat ears and laughed for a moment. Airi took a bite from her lunch as she crossed her legs in front of her in a lotus position. She felt someone walk up behind her.

“Airi, is it?” A woman’s voice said. “I need you to come with me.”

Airi jumped to her feet and stared at a blue haired woman in a pink kimono holding an oar. “Um, who are you?”

“My name is Botan. As I said, I need you to come with me, my boss believes you may be a danger to others.”

“What are you-“ She started, then she felt something hit her in the neck, and the world slipped away.

Airi collapsed on the ground. Botan managed to slide the girl onto the oar, and she opened a small compact sized communicator. “Koenma? I’m heading back, I have the demon.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Airi stood in a large open field alone. She was admiring the sky when a ring of orange and gold fire appeared around her. She turned in a circle as she observed the flames, when she stopped, a woman that looked just like her stood across from her just outside of the flames. “Who are you?”

“I’m you.” A cool voice said.

“So, I’m talking to myself?” She mused aloud.

“In a way.” The woman stepped into the flames and into the ring, unscathed. “I am a manifestation of your memories.”

“Memories?”

“Of before.”

“What before? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Let me in and I’ll show you.” She approached Airi with her hand outstretched.

“No, I don’t know what you are.”

She sighed. “Your memories were taken from you, I’m all that’s left. Don’t you want to know what happened in your life before your ‘parents’ found you? You had a life, you had potential before that. I can show you some of those memories. At least, I can show you the ones that weren’t already taken from me.”

“Already taken?”

“Yes, someone feared my power, so they took my memories, I’m all that’s left. If you want to know about your past, you must accept me.” She held out her hand again.

Airi hesitated. “I can’t do that.”

“What if I shared some memories with you just to give you an idea, but we don’t have much time. If we take too long, I’ll be eradicated too”

Airi sat down in front of her. “Then share.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Yusuke and Kuwabara ran toward their school only to find Kurama leaving. “Kurama!” They ran closer. “Where’s Botan? We’re going to stop her from taking Airi.”

“You’re too late, Botan just left with the girl.” Yusuke and Kuwabara’s eyes widened. “I’m sure Koenma just wants to talk to her, figure out why she’s here, she’ll probably be back in the morning.”

“I didn’t get that impression, Kurama.” Yusuke said gravely, “If she’s not back by morning, I’m going to Koenma, figure out why he has her, what he’s done with her.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Kurama replied.

“If he wants me as his ‘Spirit Detective’ yeah. He can’t just accuse someone of being a demon and kidnap them when they’ve done nothing wrong.” Yusuke clenched his fist.

Kurama pursed his lips. “Alright, if she’s not back by morning, I’ll go with you.”

“But, you’ll miss school.” Kuwabara exclaimed.

“I agree with you. Koenma shouldn’t falsely accuse someone and kidnap an innocent girl. I need to hear his reasons just as much as you do.” Kurama stated calmly.

“Alright, let Hiei know, it might be better if all four of us show up. United front and all that.” Yusuke stated.

Kuwabara was grumbling to himself. “It’s gotta be a mistake…”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Hiei crouched on a tree branch nearby listening to the other boys’ conversations. When the human boys left, he approached Kurama. “She was taken then?”

“Yes. I’m sure you heard the rest.” He motioned after the boys. “Will you come with us?”  
“Why should I?”

Kurama sighed and glanced down. “You don’t have to, but we’re going, with or without you.” He turned to leave. “I assume Yusuke just wants to show Koenma that we’re working together as a team, as he intended.” Kurama shrugged. “We’re leaving at 9:00 am. Come with us or don’t.”

Hiei stared after him. _It can’t be her, can it?_ He gave a frustrated growl. _Damnit_.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**The Next Morning**

Yusuke stood outside the gates of his school waiting to see if Airi would show. Kuwabara showed up first. “Urameshi, you seen her yet?”

“No…not yet.” He responded darkly. _What have you done, Koenma?_ “Well, we have 15 minutes or so, then we’ll head to Spirit World. I asked Botan to come and take us.”

Kuwabara nodded solemnly. “She can’t be a demon, this had better just be one heck of a misunderstanding.”

Another ten minutes passed, and Kurama approached them. “Has she arrived yet?” He asked hopefully.

“No. Only five more minutes, and we’re heading out.” Yusuke had his arms crossed now, with one hand balled into a fist. _I’m gonna kick his ass_. He thought.

Finally, the bell rang for classes to begin. The trio glanced up toward the school and Yusuke spoke coldly, “Let’s go.” As they walked away, Botan appeared before them. “You’re late.” Yusuke glared at her.

“I just wanted to make sure she had time to arrive back.” She suddenly stopped speaking, her bubbly voice died in her throat. “She’s….not back yet is she?” The boys shook their heads at her. “I was afraid of that.” She paused, looking serious for a moment. “I suppose you’re ready to go see Koenma then?” They nodded solemnly. “Okay, grab on.” Each of them grabbed a hold of her oar, and they left for Spirit World.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Spirit World**

Koenma stared through the glass at the unconscious girl hooked up to their machines. _You were supposed to forget, how did you start remembering?_ He narrowed his eyes at her as her body suddenly lurched on the table. _How are you fighting this? It worked last time_.

His thoughts were interrupted as a woman’s voice called from his office. “Koenma? Sir, are you here?”

Koenma gave a sigh. _Botan_. “I’ll be right there.” He quickly left the room, closed the door behind him and sat at his desk. “What is it?”

“Um, Koenma, sir, Yusuke and his team are here to see you. They, uh, have questions about the demon I brought in yesterday.”

He stared down at his desk. “Tell them it was a matter of security, send them on their way.” Botan didn’t move, his voice turned to exasperation, “What else?”

“Um, no disrespect, sir. I don’t think that’s going to be enough of an answer for them. Yusuke is really upset, Airi was his friend-“

He cut her off. “I don’t need to explain myself to him, tell them to leave now!” He raised his voice at her.

The doors burst open, and the boys stormed in. Botan stepped back and disappeared through the doorway. She didn’t want to be a part of what was coming. “Okay, enough waiting, you need to answer my questions now!” Yusuke demanded.

“I don’t answer to you, Yusuke. You work for me-“ He was interrupted.

“That’s right, I do work for you. If you want me to keep working for you, you need to answer my questions.”

Koenma hesitated before he gave a loud sigh. “Fine, I will answer what I am able to. Ask.” He waved his hand dismissively and the boys took the chairs in front of him.

Yusuke started. “Where is Airi?”

“She’s here.”

“Why did you take her?”

“She’s dangerous.”

“She’s never posed a threat to anybody, she can’t be a demon, you got the wrong girl.” Kuwabara interjected.

“Whether she’s posed a threat or not, she is a dangerous demon and she cannot be allowed to roam the human realm freely.”

“How dangerous?” Kurama remained calm.

Koenma pressed his lips together, thinking carefully about his answer. “She has the raw energy of a low S class demon, but only exhibits the energy of a D class.”

Kurama’s eyes widened. “But that’s impossible.”

“Well…” Koenma paused. “Last time she was here, we took her memories away and we thought that solved the problem.”

Yusuke stood and slammed his hands on Koenma’s desk. “She was here _before_?”

Koenma glanced down at his desk. _I shouldn’t have said that._ He briefly thought. “Yes, but after her memories were extracted, she became weak, she should have been as close to human as possible. She should’ve forgotten her abilities, forgotten her past.” He paused. “Her energy surged this morning, that surge was felt here in Spirit World. She’s not as strong as she used to be, but she is still powerful, even if she doesn’t know it.”

“What kind of demon is she?”

Koenma hesitated for a moment. “I don’t see why that matters.”

“Answer Kurama’s question.” Yusuke demanded through gritted teeth.

Koenma gave an aggravated sigh. “She’s a fire demon.”

There was a heavy silence for a few moments when suddenly Kuwabara decided to ask a question. “If she’s a fire demon, and you’re worried she’s dangerous, why don’t you just have Hiei talk to her?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because I can’t.”

“Why not, Koenma?”

“What difference does it make? She’s dangerous, end of story.”

Yusuke slammed his hands down on Koenma’s desk again. “She’s my friend. You’re treating her like a goddamn prisoner. She’s never done anything to anyone, she helped her mom clean houses, she’s part of the dance team. She isn’t dangerous to anyone!” He gripped his hands onto the edge of the desk. “I want to see her.” Koenma opened his mouth to speak, but Yusuke cut him off. “I want to see her, NOW!”

Koenma gave a defeated sigh. “Fine, if you’re going to be such a baby about it, follow me.” He stood from his desk with a loud humph, pressed a button on his desk, and a hidden door opened to his left. “Come on.” He led the way into the secret room with the boys on his heels. Koenma heard the boys gasp behind him as he led them into an observation room overlooking a tiled room behind a large window. “Any remaining memories will be finished extracting in a few hours.” He nodded toward a large machine. “Then she can go back.”

Yusuke stared into the tiled room. Airi lay strapped down to a table still in her school uniform, wires hanging from either side of her calm face. “What did you do to her?”

“She’s been placed in a medical coma until the extraction is complete. She cannot be allowed to leave with her memories of her power, that’s what makes her dangerous. She’s powerful enough to destroy the human realm on a whim if she desired it.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Airi sat across from her doppelgänger in the ring of fire. Her copy raised her hands up in front of her and Airi placed her hands against hers.

A man with a scar over his eye glared down at her. “Bring in the next lad.” A door opened, and a male demon was kicked in. “You’re next, if you succeed congratulations, you’re worthy of this power.” He pointed to her. “Have at her.” The young demon approached her and she felt herself panic.

As he approached, he started lowering his trousers. She tried to crawl away, but heavy chains were wrapped tight around her neck and arms. She scooted back as far as she could until the demon grabbed her ankle and pulled her towards him. She kicked him in the gut, and he grunted. He lunged for her, but she felt her power build around her. Orange and gold flames built up in a flash of light, and he pulled back. “Go on, once you take her, your heir will be worthy of legends.” The young demon approached again. Airi felt the flames surround her body as her face twisted into a sneer. Once the demon got close enough, she screamed, sending her flames to him, enveloping him in heat so intense his skin began to crack and flake before he could even scream.

He was soon reduced to a pile of ashes before her, the scarred man entered the room, stalked over to her and back handed her across the face. “All you have to do is produce a child with your power. Stop killing potential mates.” She glared up at him fury etched into her face. “Glare at me all you want, child. It’s time to make yourself useful.” He turned on his heel and left. After a few minutes, her energy seemed to fade, she hung her head and sobbed.

_I need to get out of here._ She tried to focus her aura into her chains in an attempt to break them, but as usual, they didn’t budge. Then the scene was filled with darkness.

Airi opened her eyes and stared across at her double. “What was that?” Her voice shook slightly.

“That was my-our, father. Our _real_ father. Before going to the human world.”

“Human world? What other world is there?”

“You’re a demon, technically a hal-”

Airi’s eyes opened in shock. “A demon? Like with horns?”

“Some may have horns, but I don’t.” Her gaze softened. “I get it. You’re scared, but this is our story. This was our past.” The ring around them seemed to suddenly dim, and her voice grew urgent. “Please, Airi, you must accept me before I’m taken away.”

“I-I-“ What could she say? This other version of herself essentially told her that this man who was her father wanted demons to rape her just to produce a child. She had no reason to believe this copy of herself, but at the same time, she knew it was nothing but honesty.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Hiei stalked through the open door to Koenma’s office. No one was there. _Where are they?_ He approached Koenma’s desk while looking around. Voices faintly entered the room through the wall off to the side. He walked closer to it, before he noticed a sliver of an opening that soft voices could be heard through, he reached out using his Jagan as his eyes closed.

“What did you do to her?” Yusuke’s voice was clear to him now. He opened his eyes.

He approached the opening and nudged it, causing a door to swing inward and the voices grew louder. He slipped inside quietly and suppressed his energy. “You need to let her go, Koenma. At the very least, let Hiei talk to her. Maybe he can get some information out of her.” Kurama’s voice said calmly. Hiei glanced through the large window only to see the girl from earlier laying on a table.

“Out of the question.”

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” Yusuke was getting aggravated now.

“Because-“

“Because why?” Kuwabara interrupted.

“Because she’s been asking for him.” Everyone was silent again. Hiei froze in the shadows.

Yusuke gave a dry laugh. “She asked for Hiei? So why haven’t you let him talk to her?”

“You think I should just give any powerful demon exactly what they want? I wanted to know why, but she wouldn’t answer my questions.”

“So you took her memories?” Yusuke’s fists shook with anger. “We need to get Hiei here, and let him talk to her.”

“I can’t allow that, Yusuke.” Koenma said with a warning tone.

“Koenma,” Kurama started gently, “It can’t hurt to let him talk to her. Maybe they know each other, maybe he could find out why she’s here. If she’s so dangerous, don’t you think keeping her in this state will anger her further?” He motioned toward the unconscious girl. “Besides, Hiei is already here.”

Koenma jumped and turned to see a pair of red eyes staring at him from the darkness. “HIEI! When did you come in?” He moved to block Hiei’s view of Airi. “You need to leave.”

“You sedated a demon and altered her memories?” He asked warningly, “Would you do that to me or Kurama? After forcing us to agree to work for you as _probation_?” His face darkened.

“That’s different, Hiei.”

“Is it?”

“Yes, she’s dangerous-“

“ _I’m_ dangerous.” He glared at Koenma. “You said she asked for me.”  
“No, I-“

“I heard you.” He stepped to the side so Airi remained in his line of sight. “Let me in.”

“I can’t do that.” He moved to block the doorway into the sealed room.

“Let me in.” Hiei repeated, “Or I cut you down.”

Yusuke lunged forward, grabbing the front of Koenma’s shirt. “Let him in.”

Koenma glanced between them. “If it gets out of control, I’ll yank her memories.” He glanced at a console off to the side. He nodded toward Hiei before glaring at Yusuke. “Go.”

Hiei stepped through the door and approached Airi.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Airi and her double had covered a few more memories. Various demons attempting to visit her in a captive state, her incinerating them to ash. A memory of her even younger, being told that she can never learn to fight because it would be too dangerous. Then a memory of her older but free of the chains. She walked alongside him, but she looked forward, free and hopeful of a future. He stopped and pulled her closer. Was he protecting her? Suddenly her double disrupted her. “He came.” She whispered longingly. "We need to do this now.” She suddenly grabbed Airi’s hands.

She widened her eyes suddenly and attempted to pull away. It felt as if her body was being consumed by flames. She opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Still images passed before her eyes in rapid succession, bits and pieces from other memories both shared and new.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Hiei stopped beside her. As he reached out to free her from the wires, she suddenly gasped and sat bolt upright. He pulled his hand away, watching her. Airi looked around wildly, grabbing at the cables attached to her and yanking them free.

Outside, Koenma had backed away from the others and approached the console. His hand hovered over the button that would cause gas to fill the chamber and knock her out. The team stepped closer to the window, watching closely as they ignored the leader of Spirit World.

As she freed herself from the last stubborn wire, she stared down at her hands, her eyes were having a hard time adjusting in the harsh light. She glanced down at her body, as if confused by her attire. She grabbed at the yellow ribbon hanging from the front of her shirt and yanked it off. She tossed it aside and suddenly became aware of a boy standing in front of her. She concentrated on focusing her eyes on the black blur, a cloak perhaps? Her eyes traveled upwards until she came to a white scarf, then further to a pair of piercing red eyes. Her mouth felt dry as she opened it to speak, her voice coming out in a whisper, “Hiei?”

Hiei felt as if his heart stopped. Although she didn’t look the same, her expression as she met his eyes said all he needed to know. This was her. “Airi?” He whispered back to her. “You…were dead-“ He paused, “I couldn’t find you, I couldn’t sense you anywhere.” He kept his voice low so no one outside could hear him.

Airi reached out a hand to him, but stopped. Something was wrong. She suddenly glanced back at the window, “Koenma.” She spoke firmly, finding her voice. “What have you done to me?” She stood suddenly, feeling dizzy. It didn’t matter, she stalked to the window, glaring out into the observation room. She could feel the flames building up inside her. “You bastard! You said you would help me, and this is what you’ve done? Stolen my memories, denied me the one thing I asked of you, wasn’t locking me away up here for three years enough for you?” She slammed a hand against the window, and flames exploded forth enveloping her body.

Behind her, Hiei’s eyes widened as he kept his back to her and the observation room. _Three years…that’s why I didn’t feel her…she was here?_ He clenched his hand into a fist in his pocket as he turned his glare toward the observation room.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Observation Room**

_Shit_. Koenma’s hand lingered over the button.

“ _Three_ years…Are you fucking kidding me?” Yusuke wheeled on Koenma. “You kept her here for _three_ years, let her go, then locked her back up because you’re afraid of her?”

“It’s not that simple, Yusuke.”

“You couldn’t even let her see him?”

“I was trying to protect-“

“You were trying to protect yourself.” Kuwabara said, also turning on Koenma.

Kurama stared in silence at Airi, flames sprung wildly from her. “You locked her away. Kept her from the person she asked for…” He paused as if coming to a realization. “That’s how he became known as a thief. He stole the treasure of the fire demons. It wasn’t an object, it was a person.” He kept his eyes on Airi as her eyes started glowing bright white. “He stole her.”

The other boys stared at him. “Stole her? So he kidnapped her? Why?”

Kurama never turned to address them, he kept his eyes on Airi. “If I remember properly, fire demons are predominantly male. It is rare for a female to be born, so when they are, their fathers are supposed to…secure a mate before the girl is of age by any means necessary, to…have a greater chance of creating a stronger generation.” As he paused, Kuwabara looked horrified, Yusuke glanced up at Airi and back to Kurama. “Females are never to be trained so they don’t put up a fight, but I vaguely remember hearing that one had gone missing. It was believed that she had commit suicide, but the fire demons seemed agitated, they were searching for her.” He kept staring at her. “A female fire demon’s natural ability is supposed to be so powerful, it incinerates those who are unworthy. Supposedly, only a worthy male fire demon can approach and successfully mate with a female, but there has never been a confirmation, at least not in writing. Fire demons are not known for their…cooperative nature.”

Yusuke and Kuwabara looked equally disgusted. “So…her father…would just, allow any number of guys to attempt to _rape_ and _impregnate_ his daughter to create stronger fire demons?” Kuwabara stumbled over the words. “That’s…disgusting.”

Yusuke’s voice seemed cold and detached as he added, “So Hiei got her out, but they got separated, and she wound up in the Spirit World where she asked _you_ ,” he glared at Koenma, “for help. You were supposed to protect her, but instead you took her memories, kept her from seeing the person who saved her, then just left her in the human world with some random family to take care of her?” Yusuke’s voice trembled. “She needed help, and you left her with nothing. The family you left her with, they died, she’s on her own now.” He felt his eyes burning but pushed the sensation away. He stalked toward Koenma, pulling him away from the console. “Let her out. I’ll take her with me. You fear her power, but she never got a chance to learn to control it. Let me take her to Genkai’s, maybe we can train her, teach her control. You denied her the ability to control her power and protect herself, you can at least make up for it now.”

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Inside**

Hiei watched her calmly. He could hear Kurama’s explanation, he could hear the realization that Hiei’s first stolen ‘treasure’ was indeed Airi. That didn’t matter now. She was here, she was alive, but she was also dangerously out of control. Her energy was consuming her, it burst from her, coating her body in orange and gold flames. All he could think was that he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

Airi turned her face downward as she placed her hands on the sides of her head, there was such an intense pain. The flames around her body flickered out and she gave a strong gasp. She turned suddenly toward Hiei. “She’s fighting me.”

He stepped forward. “Who…?”

“Koenma’s version of Airi. She’s not ready to accept me.” She staggered forward. Hiei caught her against him and knelt on the ground holding her. “I’m going to lose my memories, Hiei.” Her gold eyes stared up at him desperately. “Don’t abandon me.” She whispered.

“Never.” He whispered.

“Don’t force her, let her figure out our-” Then her eyes rolled back into her head and she lost consciousness.

He stared down at her for a moment, before scooping her up and placing her back onto the table. Hiei stared at the ground as he left the room, going back into the observation room.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

**Observation Room**

The silence was deafening. No one knew what to say, she had awoken, shown her power, then burned out in a matter of minutes. Kuwabara watched as Hiei had placed Airi back on the table. “Who knew, the shrimp actually cared about someone?” _I guess he’s not all bad, I mean, he saved her from an awful situation._

“He did save her, and now…” Yusuke’s voice died in his throat. Hiei had come back into the observation room, anger on his face. “Koenma…let me take her to Genkai’s.” Hiei made a move toward Koenma but Yusuke blocked him.

“Let me deal with him. He let her suffer, he should suffer the same way.” His hand gripped the hilt of his sword. Yusuke didn’t move. “I’ll go through you if I have to.”

“There’s no need for that, Hiei. Genkai may be able to help her.” Kurama spoke softly attempting to calm him down.

“We’ll head there now. She can start working with her as soon as she wakes up. I’m sure getting her far away from Koenma is a good place to start.” Yusuke shot Koenma a glare.

Koenma glanced between all of them. “Fine, but if I get even an inkling that she’s a danger, I will bring her back here.” Hiei made another move toward him, this time Kurama stopped him.

“That is acceptable.” Hiei shot a furious glare at Kurama. “She’ll learn control, there’s no reason to take drastic measures.” Kurama said giving Koenma a cold stare.

Koenma nodded solemnly and stepped aside. Kuwabara stepped closer to him, shaking his head at him in disbelief. He acted as a barrier between him and the others as Kurama and Yusuke went into the chamber. They lifted her and placed her on Kurama’s back and came back into the observation room. “I’m still a spirit detective, but I need a break for a bit. Right now, I can’t do my job knowing what you’ve done.” Yusuke turned away from him and led the way from the room followed by Kurama with Airi and Hiei beside them. Kuwabara took up the rear.

Koenma stared after them and gulped. _I hope you know what you’re doing, Yusuke._ He narrowed his eyes after them as he pressed another button on the console and removed a small orb from the center. _I’ll have to keep this safe._ He put it into his pocket and deactivated the console and the chamber as he left.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I started this fanfic over a decade ago and never had the courage to post it until recently. I hope you enjoyed it! I have made so many changes to it since then, there may be bits and fragments of old sentences I've forgotten to delete, feel free to leave a comment and I'll go in and correct it.


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